Time to aim high

[g1_quote author_name=”Jennifer Ward-Lealand” author_description=”Actress” align=”center” size=”m” style=”solid” template=”01″] Education is survival and growth. From generation to generation we pass on skills that enable us to do everything from tool making…

Education is survival and growth. From generation to generation we pass on skills that enable us to do everything from tool making to cosmology, statistical analysis to baking, philosophy and the arts to carpentry and communication skills. It is each generation’s responsibility to teach to the next what it is to be human, to think independently, to explore all aspects of this existence, to socialize and make the world a better place, to tell stories and lift the human spirit, to solve our problems, to provide for ourselves and to ensure that we continue to do so. Education is survival and growth.

In an uncertain world, the purpose of education is to give the people the ability to create for themselves the future they want to live in: to dream, then to be creative, resilient problem-solvers who have the knowledge and skills to turn those dreams into reality.

To help students to make sense of the world they are living in and to prepare them for the world they are to enter. It needs to help them discover, grow and excel in their passions and learn to persevere through difficultly and challenge.

To develop student self esteem and resilience through the gaining of competencies, skills and knowledge so they have resources to draw on when confronting whatever the future holds, whether it be participation in a global world or participation in a dystopian world.

The purpose of education is to provide staff and students with a kete of tools which support life-long learners, recognising that what we know now will be neither the future of today nor the reality of tomorrow.

To ensure each individual reaches their highest potential: academically, socially, behaviourally, culturally, artistically, scientifically, in the area of sports and citizenship. To encourage excellent work ethic, love of exploring and learning, in all curriculum and in real world contexts. To direct, develop, nurture, teach the skills needed for life and relationships.

Education is about life-long learning. It is about strengthening strengths, developing talents and creating choices for all. Education is about supporting students to become future focused citizens, equipped with the literacies, skills, capabilities and competencies they need to create a better world. It is for everyone. It needs to involve everyone.

To help students to
understand themselves as people and as learners.
know their strengths and how to use and develop them
know their weaknesses and how to overcome them
develop survival skills such as resilience, self control, and relating to others
have curiosity and be critical thinkers and be problem solvers
find the joy in learning

To enhance the ability of individuals to think and learn, so that they might have a continually improving capacity to meet challenges, solve problems, resolve conflict and engage constructively with other individuals, resulting in the improvement and enrichment of society, and a sustainable world.

Talk to the beancounter

A government taskforce report Considering Education Regulations in New Zealand will be the basis of the review of the Act. The chair of this taskforce is Murray Jack, who is also chair of the accounting firm Deloitte New Zealand. While the report has some good points – for example, that a purpose statement for the Education Act should be ‘inclusive, student-centred and enduring’ – it also has an emphasis on student outcomes and student achievement (as measured by standardised tests).

Read the report, NZEI’s response to it, and also essays on The Purpose of Education by Professor Ivan Snook and Dr Cathy Wylie.

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About EA

Education Aotearoa is the magazine of the New Zealand Educational Institute. It’s published quarterly and goes to 47,000 educators working in early and primary education. These include support staff, teachers and principals.